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A friend of mine had to wear one of those once, but only for 24 hours. He said it was a pain in the ass to sleep with, but otherwise wasn't a problem. Hope it's problem-free for you too, and you manage to get a good night's sleep.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

I wore one a couple of years ago, though only for 24 hours. I seemed a bit weird when they fitted me for it, including minor shaving. I slept well however and it wasn't too uncomfortable. I hope yours goes well !

I may have to wear one of them, as I'm having a lot of heart palpitations, ( My ID Doc thinks this is due to the 400mgs of Norvir that is causing this) Mark, I hope they don't find anything wrong in that area, you already have enough to deal with on a daily basis let us all know how this plays out for you.......

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"it's so nice to be insane, cause no-one ask you to explain" Helen Reddy cc 1974

The Holter contraption is really not much of a problem. It reminds me of one of those old fashioned Walkman radios, the kind that had the tiny earphones.

The difference is this one has five ECG leads that are glued to your chest. The only pain were the two right at the top of my chest, basically right above my collar bone.

I guess my skin is sensitive there, because the electrodes, or whatever they are called annoyed me and actually hurt when I took them off. It is still tender there.

But the other three were no problem at all.

No results yet. The nurse said it takes time to get the results back.

Hey Alan, I like the "Halter" name better!

I already did a graduated echo stress test. It came out pretty much fine, except for an enlarged left ventricle and a leaky mitral valve, which I am told I must now tell my dentist about. Apparently, you must be premedicated for any dental work if you have a leaky heart valve. I though my sister was just being overly dramatic, but the doctor and nurse confirmed it.

So, something new to think about come teeth cleaning time.

I'll let you know the outcome of this latest test when I find out.

HUGS,

Mark

P.S. - I am still eating a lot of vegetarian foods and now am taking 500 mg of Niaspan without any severe problems. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I hate pulling those electrodes off after my dilations ... rips the hairs off my chest! Ouch!!

Funny thing was the nurse who attached everything shaved the spots. Then, I guess that wasn't good enough, so she used some sandpaper tape - that's what she called it - to "rough up" the skin where the electrodes were to be attached.

Of course, ever the neatnik, she then wiped all the sandpapered areas with alcohol.

It was quite the experience.

I didn't have trouble sleeping with it, except once when I must have twisted the wrong way and it tried to pull off an electrode.

I now give myself a nice body trim before any procedure involving those d*** electrodes. They friggin' Hurt and they only shave a small circle of hair so that the edges are still adhered to hairs. Then: you look ridiculous with all the bald spots.

So: you're off Mediterranean and on Vegetarian?

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"I'm not done yet"....Glen Campbell

"I may not be exactly where I want to be, but I sure as Hell am not where I was" Wynnona Judd

Diagnosed/HIV1993AZTNorvir1994-2001Crixivan/Epivir/ZeritNo Meds for 7 Years

Funny thing was the nurse who attached everything shaved the spots. Then, I guess that wasn't good enough, so she used some sandpaper tape - that's what she called it - to "rough up" the skin where the electrodes were to be attached.

Of course, ever the neatnik, she then wiped all the sandpapered areas with alcohol.

It was quite the experience.

I didn't have trouble sleeping with it, except once when I must have twisted the wrong way and it tried to pull off an electrode.

HUGS,

Mark

She sounds like a sadist!

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It is not the arrival that matters. It is the journey along the way. -- Michel Montaigne

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

I now give myself a nice body trim before any procedure involving those d*** electrodes. They friggin' Hurt and they only shave a small circle of hair so that the edges are still adhered to hairs. Then: you look ridiculous with all the bald spots.

So: you're off Mediterranean and on Vegetarian?

Hmmm, Ron, that conjures up some "interesting" images.

No, I haven't abandoned Mediterranean, but I did add more vegetarian or meat-free meals. I thought I would give it a shot to see how I liked it. I figured a couple days a week that are free of animal products couldn't hurt.

Some of the vegetarian stuff is pretty good, but I have to be careful because most of the prepared foods contain gluten. So, I do a lot of label reading.

Everything came out fine. The results showed I had periods of high heart rates, but not dangerously high.

My maximum heart rate was only 133, while the lowest rate was 46, which is tolerable, or so my doctor said.

I did have a few minor things show up, particularly some supraventricular ectopy. This basically means the upper ventricles were occasionally beating more often than they should be.

But even that was nothing to speak of.

So, hurrahs are in order. I got a clean cardiac bill of health, which ain't half bad for someone who is in his 50s, smoked for 34 years and has lipids that have been elevated for so long I leave an oil slick in the bath tub.

By the way, no problems with Isentress or Truvada so far, except for bouts of gas.